Difference between revisions of "Famous Persons in the Apostolic Age"

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(St. Polycarp’s Martyrdom)
(Servant Women)
 
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== Servant Women ==
 
== Servant Women ==
  
=== Phoebe ===
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# [[Phoebe]]
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# [[Priscilla]]
She is the most famous woman mentioned in the Holy Epistles of St. Paul. She came before
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# [[St. Thekla, the Martyr]]
men in the Holy Epistle to the Romans “I commended to you Phoebe our sister who is a servant of the
 
church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist
 
her in whatever business she has need of you for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself
 
also (Romans 16:1&2)”. She was a virgin and St. Paul mentioned her as a deacon serving women in
 
the Church of Cenchrea in Corinth. She was the writer for St. Paul in the Holy Epistle to the Romans
 
and also she carried that Holy Epistle to them. 
 
 
 
=== Priscilla ===
 
 
She and his husband Aquila were the perfect example of the true Christian marriage as St. John
 
the Chrysostom said. They lived in Rome and left to Corinth when the emperor Claudius exiled all
 
Jews from Rome and there St. Paul met them in his second trip of ministry (Acts 18:2). They hosted St.
 
Paul in their house for one and a half years. They were like St. Paul tents makers. They followed St.
 
Paul to Ephesus where they stayed there and their house became a Church. St. Paul met them again in
 
Ephesus during his 3rd trip and so he wrote “Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord with
 
the church in their house (1 Corinthians 16:19).”
 
 
They returned to Rome and continued their ministry and so St. Paul sent his greetings to them
 
in his Holy Epistle to Romans “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my fellow workers in Christ Jesus who
 
risked their own necks for my life to whom not only I give thanks but also all churches of the gentiles”
 
(Romans 16:3-5). 
 
 
Again they left Rome returning back to Asia Minor especially Ephesus to continue their
 
ministry and so St. Paul wrote to Timothy “Greet Priscilla and Aquila” (2 Timothy 4:19). It is clear
 
that St. Priscilla and her husband were highly educated in addition to their righteousness as the Holy
 
Book of Acts mentioned that they taught Apollos from Alexandria the Orthodox faith in the Lord
 
although Apollos was fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord though he
 
knew the baptism of John (Acts 18:24-26). She is a role model for the Christian married woman.
 
 
 
=== St. Thekla, the Martyr ===
 
 
She was a virgin and a disciple of St. Paul from Iconium. She was rich, beautiful and engaged
 
to one of the well-to-do men in Iconium (Acts 13:51). When St. Paul arrived at Iconium in his first
 
ministry’s trip she believed in his ministry and so vowed to be a virgin for the Lord. When her mother
 
discovered her faith she went and betrayed her to the governor of Iconium who persecuted her with
 
different sufferings and pains.  He threw her in fire but the Lord sent heavy rain which extinguished
 
the flames and so she was saved. She followed St. Paul to Antioch and ministered to pagan women
 
there. In Antioch, the governor also persecuted her and threw her to the wild animals naked three times
 
for three days but the Lord saved her. After that he threw her in a pit filled with snakes but the Lord
 
saved her. She went after that to her home land in Iconium and ministered there, then went to Syria
 
where she lived the hermitic life and the Lord granted her the gift of healing sickness. She departed at the age of 90 years and was buried in Solicaia of Syria. Because of her great sufferings and pains, the
 
church called her martyr.
 

Latest revision as of 19:02, 12 October 2012

The Twelve Disciples & Apostles

  1. St. Peter the Apostle
  2. St. Andrew the Apostle
  3. St. James the Elder
  4. St. James the Beloved
  5. St. James the Just
  6. St. Philip the Apostle
  7. St. Bartholomew the Apostle
  8. St. Thomas the Apostle
  9. St. Matthew the Apostle
  10. St. Judas the Apostle
  11. St. Simon the Canaanite
  12. St. Barnabas the Apostle
  13. St. Mark the Evangelist and Beholder of God
  14. St. Luke the Apostle

The Apostles’ Assistants

  1. St. Timothy
  2. St. Titus
  3. St. Silas

The Apostolic Fathers

  1. St. Clement of Rome
  2. St. Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna

Servant Women

  1. Phoebe
  2. Priscilla
  3. St. Thekla, the Martyr